Anti-discriminatory practice means working in ways that prevent unfair treatment and challenge prejudice in daily care. It supports equality, diversity and inclusion by helping services respond to people as individuals rather than assumptions or labels. In health and social care, this means removing barriers, respecting rights and making sure people who use services receive fair, safe and person-centred support.
This free anti-discriminatory practice course covers key terms, the legal and professional framework, the different forms discrimination can take, and how workers can promote equality and challenge poor practice in everyday settings.
Why Take This eLearning Course?
Anti-discriminatory practice is essential to safe, respectful and lawful care. Discrimination can affect health, wellbeing, trust, access to services and quality of life. When staff understand how discrimination happens and how to respond, they are better able to protect rights, improve inclusion and support better outcomes for people who use services.
This free course will help you to:
- Understand the meaning of discrimination, equality, diversity and inclusion.
- Recognise what anti-discriminatory practice means in health and social care.
- Understand why anti-discriminatory practice is essential in care settings.
- Identify common types of discrimination, including direct, indirect and institutional discrimination.
- Recognise how discrimination can occur through behaviour, systems and workplace routines.
- Explore examples of discriminatory behaviour in care settings.
- Understand the protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.
- Recognise the rights of people using health and social care services.
- Understand the responsibilities of employers and employees in preventing discrimination.
- Explore the emotional, physical and social impact of discrimination.
- Understand how discrimination can affect health, wellbeing and access to care.
- Identify barriers to equality created by discriminatory practice.
- Learn what inclusive practice looks like in health and social care.
- Explore practical ways to promote equality and respect in everyday work.
- Recognise examples of person-centred care that support diversity.
- Learn how to identify discriminatory practice in the workplace.
- Understand appropriate ways to challenge discrimination.
- Explore reporting procedures and whistleblowing.
- Recognise the workplace policies that support anti-discriminatory practice.
- Understand the importance of codes of conduct and professional standards.
- Learn how policies protect people who use services and staff.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Define discrimination, equality, diversity and inclusion.
- Explain the meaning of anti-discriminatory practice.
- Outline why anti-discriminatory practice is essential in health and social care settings.
- List common types of discrimination.
- Describe how discrimination can occur in health and social care services.
- Give examples of discriminatory behaviour in care settings.
- Identify the protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.
- Outline the rights of individuals using health and social care services.
- Describe the responsibilities of employers and employees.
- Describe the emotional, physical and social impact of discrimination on individuals.
- Explain how discrimination affects health, wellbeing and access to care.
- Identify barriers to equality created by discriminatory practice.
- Explain inclusive practice in health and social care.
- Describe ways to promote equality and respect in everyday practice.
- Give examples of person-centred care that supports diversity.
- Identify discriminatory practice in the workplace.
- Outline appropriate ways to challenge discrimination.
- Describe reporting procedures and whistleblowing.
- Identify key workplace policies that support anti-discriminatory practice.
- Explain the importance of codes of conduct and professional standards.
- Describe how policies protect service users and staff.
Anti-Discriminatory Practice Course Outline
Module 1: Understanding Anti-Discriminatory Practice
Learners will explore the meaning of discrimination, equality, diversity and inclusion within health and social care. This module explains discrimination as unfair treatment linked to protected characteristics, identity, beliefs or other personal factors, and shows how policies and routines can also disadvantage certain groups. Learners will examine equality as fair access to opportunities and support, diversity as recognising and valuing difference, and inclusion as creating environments where people feel welcomed, respected and able to participate. The module also introduces anti-discriminatory practice as an active approach that prevents unfair treatment, challenges prejudice, and helps shape services so they are respectful, lawful and person-centred.
Module 2: Why Anti-Discriminatory Practice Matters in Health and Social Care
This module focuses on why anti-discriminatory practice is essential in health and social care settings. Learners will examine how discrimination can damage trust, reduce access to support, delay treatment and affect safety, wellbeing and daily quality of life. The module explains the legal and professional context, including the Equality Act 2010, the Health and Social Care Act 2008, and Care Quality Commission expectations around safe, respectful and person-centred care. Learners will also explore how anti-discriminatory practice supports better outcomes, stronger engagement with services, more positive family and carer relationships, and a healthier workplace culture based on accountability and respect.
Module 3: Types and Examples of Discrimination in Care Settings
Learners will explore the common types of discrimination that may appear in health and social care services. This module explains direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, institutional discrimination, harassment, victimisation, and associative or perceptive discrimination. Learners will examine how discrimination can happen through communication barriers, assumptions about need, unequal access to services, poor attitudes, offensive language, exclusion, or policies that disadvantage particular groups. The module also includes practical examples of discriminatory behaviour in care settings, such as ignoring identity, making unequal decisions about choice and support, or using offensive comments or humour. The focus throughout is on recognising that discrimination may be obvious or subtle, individual or systemic, and always has the potential to affect dignity, safety and trust.
Module 4: Rights, Responsibilities, and the Legal Framework
This module focuses on the legal and ethical framework that supports anti-discriminatory practice in England. Learners will examine the protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. The module also explains the rights of individuals using health and social care services, including the right to dignity, fair access, involvement in decisions, safe care, confidentiality, and the ability to raise concerns. Learners will also explore the responsibilities of employers and employees, including the duty to provide fair systems, training, supervision, reporting procedures, reasonable adjustments, respectful communication, and prompt action when discrimination is seen or reported.
Module 5: The Impact of Discrimination on Individuals and Access to Care
Learners will explore the emotional, physical and social impact that discrimination can have on people who use services. This module explains how discrimination may lead to anxiety, shame, anger, low self-esteem, withdrawal, reduced trust in services, and loss of confidence in speaking up. It also examines how discrimination can affect physical health through stress, missed appointments, unmanaged conditions and delayed treatment. Learners will explore how discriminatory practice creates barriers to equality, including biased assumptions, poor communication systems, inflexible routines, unequal opportunities and fear of reporting concerns. The module emphasises that discrimination is both a rights issue and a health issue, with consequences that may build gradually over time.
Module 6: Inclusive Practice, Equality, and Person-Centred Support
This module focuses on inclusive practice and how to promote equality and respect in everyday health and social care work. Learners will examine inclusive practice as planning and delivering support in ways that enable all people to participate as fully as possible, with adjustments made for communication, disability, culture, beliefs, identity and family circumstances. The module also explores practical ways to promote equality and respect, including careful listening, respectful language, reasonable adjustments, real choice, checking understanding, challenging poor practice, and reflecting on personal bias. Learners will also examine examples of person-centred care that support diversity, such as culturally appropriate meals and routines, accessible communication, support for faith and belief, respect for identity, flexible family involvement, and everyday choices that reflect the person’s lifestyle and values.
Module 7: Challenging Discrimination and Reporting Concerns
In the final module, learners will explore how to identify discriminatory practice in the workplace and how to challenge it safely and professionally. This module explains how discrimination may affect both people who use services and staff, and how it can appear in behaviour, communication, policies, systems, recruitment, rota patterns, complaint handling, or opportunities for participation and progression. Learners will examine appropriate ways to challenge discrimination, including calm and factual responses, timely recording, supporting the person affected, and following workplace procedures. The module also explains reporting routes, whistleblowing procedures, and the role of internal escalation when concerns are ignored or involve serious wrongdoing. Learners will also review the key workplace policies, codes of conduct, and professional standards that support anti-discriminatory practice, and will explore how these policies protect service users and staff by providing structure, fairness, accountability and safer ways of working.
Target Audience
This course is suitable for:
- Health and social care workers.
- Care assistants and support workers.
- Senior carers and team leaders.
- Social care practitioners and assessors.
- Managers and supervisors.
- Anyone involved in planning, delivering or reviewing health and social care support.
No previous specialist knowledge of anti-discriminatory practice is required.
FAQ
Is this course relevant to health and social care in England?
Yes. The course is based on health and social care practice in England and reflects the Equality Act 2010, the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and wider expectations around dignity, inclusion and person-centred care.
Does the course explain the different types of discrimination?
Yes. It covers common forms of discrimination, including direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, harassment, victimisation and institutional discrimination.
Will this course help me challenge poor practice?
Yes. It explains how to identify discrimination, respond appropriately, follow reporting procedures and use whistleblowing routes where needed.
Does it cover the rights of people using services?
Yes. The course includes rights linked to dignity, fair access, choice, confidentiality, safe care and the ability to complain or raise concerns.
Is inclusive practice included?
Yes. The course explains how inclusive practice removes barriers and supports people to take part fully in decisions, routines and care.
Does it cover workplace responsibilities and policies?
Yes. It outlines the responsibilities of employers and employees, and explains the importance of equality, safeguarding, complaints and whistleblowing policies.
How long does the course take?
The course is self-paced and typically takes 1 hour to complete.
Will I receive a certificate?
Yes. A certificate is issued after successful completion.
Is the course CPD accredited?
Courses are not currently CPD accredited, but accreditation is planned.
Anti-discriminatory practice is a core part of safe, respectful and effective care. By understanding how discrimination happens and how to prevent and challenge it, health and social care workers can help create services where people feel valued, included and treated fairly.
Enrol now to build your understanding of anti-discriminatory practice in health and social care.
